Student absences
The school has high expectations around student attendance. Under the law, parents must make sure their child attends school on all school days unless they have a reasonable excuse.
Parents of students who are absent without explanation at 9am roll check will receive a text message alert. This message requests parents to contact the school either by phone, return SMS or email to confirm the absence and reason.
If a medical practioner considers a student to be unfit for school, parents and carers are encouraged to provide medical certificate/s to the school to verify absences.
If you know your child will be absent from school or is sick, please use one of the following options to inform the school.
Absence line 24/7: 4669 0966 (all absences reported to Nicholson campus)
eMail absence: absences@dalbyshs.eq.edu.au
SMS: respond to the daily text message alert
QParents: login and advise absences through the app
Late to school
Students are required to arrive at school between 8:20 am and 8:55 am each day. School commences at 9am and concludes at 3:05pm. If a student arrives after the start of school, he/she must bring a note of explanation from their parent or carer to the office and check in. Alternatively, parents can contact the school office by phone to advise explanation of why a student will be late. Students who arrive late without explanation will receive a lunchtime detention.
Messages to students during the school day
There is no phone or paging system in classrooms. Any messages to students during the day need to be hand-delivered by office staff. This can become a very time-consuming process, particularly if classes are in the Great Hall, on the oval or have had room changes. Of course, in emergencies, every effort is always made to find students and bring them to the office. For this reason, please try to limit messages to students wherever possible. Ensure your child knows their after-school arrangements each morning before they go to school. Parents can leave messages on their student's phone which will be accessed after 3.05pm by the student.
What to do if your student needs to leave school during the day
If your student needs to leave the school grounds during the day, the student needs to hand in to the office before school a written note from a parent or caregiver. Alternatively, a parent or caregiver can phone the school office before 9am to request a leave pass.
A special pass will be given to enable the student to leave during class if necessary or obtain a leave pass from the office at break times. ALL students must sign in and out through the office.
Organising a leave pass before school is an efficient system that will save time for parents collecting students. Students cannot leave class without presenting a Leave Request to the teacher. If a student without a pass is required to leave during class time, as students cannot be paged, the student will need to be collected from the class by staff, resulting in delays for waiting parents and caregivers.
Routine medical or health appointments should be made either before or after school or during the school holidays. Appointments for hair cuts etc, should not be made during school hours and will be recorded as an unjustified absence.
Exemptions from schooling
Students who are absent from school for more than ten consecutive school days (because of illness or family matters for example) require an exemption.
Principals may approve exemptions of less than one year where there is an appropriate reason and/or it would be inappropriate for the child to attend. These reasons should be discussed with the Principal in the first instance.
Please contact the school office for advice if your child requires an exemption from schooling.